JD Institute of Fashion Technology
BioDesign in Fashion? A Skill Future Designers Must Master

Ever wish your hoodie could get bigger on pizza nights and smaller on gym days?
Or imagine if your shirt could breathe a little more when the sun’s out, or even grow as your kid does. Sounds wild, right? But this isn’t science fiction anymore — welcome to the bold world of BioDesign in Fashion, where garments aren’t just stitched, they’re grown, and they adapt just like we do.

This might sound like something out of a Marvel movie, but real-life fashion innovators are already creating clothing that grows with you, adjusting to age, climate, and even movement using living materials. And yes, this is the kind of fascinating stuff students explore in the Fashion Design course at JD Institute, where creativity meets sustainability with a futuristic twist.

What Is BioDesign in Fashion, Really?

At its core, BioDesign in fashion means designing garments using biological processes or materials. Think: fabrics made from algae, bacteria, mushrooms, or yeast — yes, the same stuff that makes bread rise. These materials can grow, change, and adapt based on the environment around them.

This means the clothes you wear might one day live, breathe, and evolve with you. Sounds a little sci-fi? Sure. But it’s very, very real.

Clothes That Grow As You Do — Literally

Startup Spotlight: Petit Pli (UK)

Founded by aeronautical engineer Ryan Mario Yasin, Petit Pli designs expandable clothing for kids — clothes that grow up to seven sizes, so parents don’t have to keep buying new ones every few months. The idea was sparked by a personal frustration: gifting clothes to his nephew that were already too small by the time they arrived!

This startup uses special pleated fabric tech that adapts with movement and growth — making it one of the first real-world examples of adaptive, bio-inspired fashion.

Why does it matter for designers? Because rethinking how we dress at every life stage could reduce waste, save money, and totally change the kidswear game.

Smart Textiles That React to Climate

Startup Spotlight: Skynfeel by Puma x MIT Design Lab

Now picture a jacket that knows when you’re sweating and opens up to cool you down. That’s what Skynfeel, a collaboration between Puma and MIT Design Lab, is doing. They created breathable sportswear that opens and closes based on your body temperature and humidity.

Why should you care as a fashion student? Because this kind of interactive fashion is where high-tech meets high-style — a field you get to explore hands-on during the Fashion Design course at JD Institute, which now includes future-forward modules like wearable tech and sustainable innovation.

Fabrics Made from Fungi, Not Fossil Fuels

Startup Spotlight: MycoWorks (USA)

Let’s talk about mushrooms. Not the kind on your pizza — but mycelium, the root system of fungi, which startups like MycoWorks are using to create leather alternatives. Their product, Reishi, is grown in labs and behaves like high-end leather — minus the animals and chemicals.

This means your next designer handbag could be made from a mushroom, and you wouldn’t even know it.

Why should young designers care? Because bio-fabrics might soon become the norm. Knowing how to design with and around them will be essential, not optional.

Bacteria That Dye Your Clothes (and Keep the Rivers Clean)

Startup Spotlight: Colorifix (UK)

Traditional dyeing processes pollute tons of water with toxic chemicals. Enter Colorifix, which uses microorganisms to produce vibrant, sustainable dyes — all without polluting rivers or hurting ecosystems.

They genetically program microbes to produce color, then use that to dye fabrics naturally. It’s genius, science-based, and exactly the kind of green thinking the industry is hungry for.

In your design career, knowing the story behind the color could become as important as picking the palette. The JD Institute’s Fashion Design course doesn’t just teach color theory — it nudges students to question where color comes from and how to make it better.

Ready to Design a World Where Clothes Don’t Just Fit, They Adapt?

Fashion Design is no longer about trends — it’s about transformation. And if you’re serious about standing out in a world full of copy-paste designers, then learning to work with living materials, adaptive fabrics, and sustainable systems is your superpower.

At JD Institute, you don’t just learn to make clothes. You learn to challenge what clothes can be.

So — shrink, stretch, sweat or grow — maybe your next design doesn’t just follow the body, it keeps up with it.

Now that’s fashion that lives.